What should we be wary of with a Disco 2

Hi guys - newbie needing your help

My brother in the wilds of Canada needs a 4x4 and after a series of the crud the yanks had to offer, he wants to give a Landy a shot.

He has been offered a 1998 Disco 2 with 140000km on the clock (95k to us in miles land) fitted with the V8 EFI lump, and they will take his wife's old Ford Taurus in p/x.

What should he careful to watch out for? I know the usual stuff about the V8 camshafts rounding off if it hasn't had regular oil changes but what I'm looking for is common faults/reliability issues that are going to cause him problems and maybe make him break down where help is far away.....

Is a Disco 2 a viable option for him - this is your chance to give your opinions - both positive and negative.

I am an Ex Landy mechanic from years back with a main dealer in Surrey (they gave up the Landy franchise in the early 80s) but defected to Rover when the franchise changed, and left the motor trade altogether 12 years ago - hence I have no working knowledge of the Discovery, and I was hoping you guys could fill in the gaps so that I can see him alright in the colonies....

Thanks

Russ

What should we be wary of with a Disco 2

John travolta

mate, go on whatcar website, select used car reviews they give real clear most common problems, things to be wary of!i think with the disco ur talkin RUST!

rafa_surf said:

mate, go on whatcar website, select used car reviews they give real clear most common problems, things to be wary of!i think with the disco ur talkin RUST!

Click to expand...

Yes R.I.P

Rust in piece

but if u cant be bothered, suspensions a bitch, rust is a huge issue,and transmissions a ****.

rafa_surf said:

but if u cant be bothered, suspensions a bitch, rust is a huge issue,and transmissions a ****.

Click to expand...

Top prize for gussing the missing word is a

haha!i'm hugely dissapointed LZone blanks out ****!THIS AINT CHINA YA KNOW!

sorry if i seem a bit flippant i have been on the lash/gypsis/loaded hic

haha! doin a winehouse! AWESOME!!

That's a very early Disco2! Thought they only went back to 1999, like mine. Most of my problems have been with the TD5 enjun, so not relevant, but think about electronics, roof leaks, ACE (if it breaks, it costs). Much better build than the Yank stuff, but also more sophisticated, so more to go wrong. I suspect that the electronics will be the big problem in the end - does he have a facility to diagnose/repair?

Well we have a td5 and had to go through a load of stuff to get it to a good condition.
We bought this a about four months ago, this was after looking through the best part of 4 supposedly mint cars as per the advertisement.

The faults we have found,
Front and rear sunroof mechanism faulty
Front suspension
Leaky air con in the car - blocked pipework
electronic front seat faulty
Rear door hinge loose
Drivers door lock mechanism faulty
power steering leaking

Even though the owner claimed that the car has been fully serviced the clutch fluid was dark, break fluid very dark.

So we had it all fully serviced and now enjoy every minute of it when we drive it. When its faultless the disco is a faultless car to have.

Also the other few things to look out for are the ingress of oil to the wiring harness, ACE active cornering enhancement, power steering, wheel bearings, fuel pump.

If all are in good working order it will be a great car!!

the really main issue with the disco 2 is:-
1. the sunroofs
2. ace

everything else is just the same as most cars of similar age. the v8 if fully serviced is normally bulletproof.

For info, 140k km is 87.5k miles, apols in advance for being a pedant.